Letter-box.



A. W. GAST.

LETTER BOX.

APPUCATION msu NOV. 23. 1912.

1,11 5%. PatentedSept. 14, 1915.

CHLL BELL BOX LIGHT SWITCH g La LETTER-BOX.

i w Lint-Reader).

application filed November 23, 1912.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. ADoLr'i-r W. Gear, a citizen of the United States, and a resident .of Chicago, in the county ofCook' and State g of Illinois. have invente(l certain new and useful lmprovements in Letter-Boxes; and I- do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying draw iug's', and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part/of this specification. l

This invention relates to improvements in letter box es more particularly intended for use in entrance-halls of apartment buildings and consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim. I In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view re'pre senting a front elevation of my improved letter-box. Fig. 2 is a view representing a vertical section through the same in a plane indicated by tlie'nne-2-2 'of'Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a View representing a partial horizontal section through the box in a plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. tisa perspective view of one of the name-plates used in connection with my improyed letter-box. The improved box is intended to be' arranged with others of like construction in a row attached to the side wall of the entry way of an apartment building, with one box for each apartment. As illustrated herein two boxes are provided as in the case of a two apartment building, or in a four apartment building where two letter-boxes are arranged on one side of the entry-way and two more on the opposite side thereof.

The improved box is preferably made of sheet metal with a front-plate of heavier metal and the main body of the box is in tended to be let into the well while the front plate, overlapping the sides and ends ofthe box, is secured against the outer surfaceof said wall. I

The improved box consists of a comprising a horizontal top wall 11, a back wall 12 and side walls 13 and also, as shown, a downwardly and forwardly inclined false 5 bottbm wall 14, the purpose of which will presently appear. Adjacent boxes are di' vided by means of a partition wall 13 where more than one box is used in a row. Each box has a bottom wall 22, which is hinged at its rear margin to the back wall 12 of the box and has locking engagement at its apart shell "i l;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14., 19115.

SeriaI'No. 733,06

front margin with the front wall plate 16. When said bottom wall 22 is unlocked, it falls down to rest upon the inclined false bottom wall. 14 and acts as a chute to deliver the mail from the box.

16 indicates the front plate which forms the front wall of the box. .Said plate 16 has in front of each box a letter-drop opening. 1?: a nameplate opening 18 above the letter-drop, said opening being covered by a transparent or translucent plate 25 on which appears the name of the tenant of the'apartmentcorresponding to the letter-box; a bottom opening 19 located in front of the inclined falsebottom wall 14 through which the mail'is adapted to fall when the box is, opened; and an opening 20 above the nameplate in line with which is arranged a tube 21 that forms part of the familiar call-tube leading to the apartment. Said plate is also provided with a larger opening 17 which is closed by means of a'glass plate 17 through which the contents of the box may. be viewed. The letter-drop opening 17 is normally closed by the usual hinged flap 24.

A paper compartment 23 is provided at the side of each box, the same preferablyextending the full length of the box from the top to the bottom thereof and the full depth from front to rear wall. Said paper .comnn-talent is divided from the main body of the box by means of a partition wall 23 and a slot 23" 'is formed in the front plate through which the papers may be inserted into the compartment 23. As will be understood the papers are. folded flat when inserted into this compartment and may or may not protrude therefrom. This provides a place for the papers which. now, in boxes at present used, usually have to be placed on a ledge or on the floor in the neighborhood of the letter-boxes, with the result that as t papers arenot identified with the are f equently lost or are not received by the proper parties. The call-tube 21 is mounted in the box in any convenient manner and is provided, as usual, near its front end with a conical enlargement 21 in order to direct the sound waves from the voice into the tube. I i

The name-plate 25 is frosted on its rear face so as to receive and retain a negative stamped or painted impression of the name of the tenant. By thus placing the name on the r rar of the glass plate it is protected it to which they are addressed, they from erasure or disfigurement. The said plate is attached to the front plate 16 by means making it removable from the front of the box so that when required the name may be erased and a new one substituted. As shown, a rabbet 26 is provided about the name-plate opening to form a seat for the name-plate and the same is held in place by means of an open frame 27 which engages its margins and which is secured to the outer face of the front plate by suitable screws.

There is provided within each box an electric lamp bulb 28. Said lamp, as shown, is mounted on an arm 29 fixed to the rear face of the front plate above the letter-drop opening and intermediate the sides of the box. Said lamp is electrically connected in a familiar manner to a source of electric current (not shown) which may either be a battery or the main electric system of the building. The lights of the several boxes of a row of boxes are all arranged on the same circuit, and a switch 30 of any familiar construction is placed on the front plate of the box, and is arranged to throw on the current for all the lamps at once. The lamps throw the light not only on the nameplate but also illuminate the interior of the boxes. When the switch 30 is turned, one looking for a person in the apartment building, may read at 'a glance the illuminated names of all those on the boxes or, if it is his own box, may seewhether there is any mail in the box.

The usual call-buttons 31 for the callbells are placed on the bottom of the front wall of the box, but the electric circuits controlled by these buttons are preferably connected to adifferent source of electric supply from that of the illuminating lamps, so as to prevent the batteries of one system from being worn out on the other system.

I claim as my invention A letter box comprising vertically adjacent compartments, a plate forming the front wall of said compartments, said plate being provided with vertically alined name plate openings, letter-drop openings and window openings, there being an alined set of said openingsassociated with each compartment, transparent plates covering said window openings, said name plate openings each having a plate receiving seat, translucent plate adapted. to rest. on each of said seats with its front face flush with the face of the front wall plate, an open frame reniovably securing each of said name plates to said front wall plate, each name plate being provided on its rear face with a contrasting imprint of the name, a bracket plate, fixed to the back face of the front wall plate, there being one.of such bracket plates located in each compartment above the name plate opening, an electric lamp supported in each bracket and adapted to illuminate the interior of each of said compartments and also-the rear face ofeach name plate and a switch in circuit with said lamps fixed to the front wall plate and operable from the outside of said box for controlling said lamps.

In testimony, that I, claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 20th day of November A. D. 1912.

' ADOLPH H GAST.

Witnesses:

Gnomes R. WILKINS, T. H. ALFREDs. 

